Isn't it more like calling her pipsqueak?
Sara's War
- Thread starter Kiyone4ever
- Start date
Isn't it more like calling her pipsqueak?
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Yep! As in Kaga had better HOPE she can out run Shinano or she might get used as a speed bump.
Jimmy C
Mostly Harmless
I think one issue with their stated "top speed" is, under what conditions were their speed trials run? I've heard that USN speed trials were run with the ships complete and carrying full combat loads, while other navies may have cheated to get higher speeds "on paper."
So there's a good chance Sara can be faster while the other ships are slower than expected.
So there's a good chance Sara can be faster while the other ships are slower than expected.
Chapter 11: What I Can
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Chapter 11: What I Can.
Alright girls. Let me tell you why we're going to win tomorrow. Saratoga had told her team the previous night. Listen up. We know First Strike Fleet is tough. They have lots of experience and they know everything in the book. Sara smirked. And that is the thing. They know what the books say about how fast we are. I know what the books say too, but I'm going to tell you those books don't match what I know about myself.
Kaga and the others are going into this by defining what we can't do. I know what I can do. To be fair, you girls never really got the chance to find that out for yourselves but I think it's more than they think. I'll tell you a secret. You know my book rated speed is 33.25 Knots, right?
The other girls nodded.
My sister Lexington made 34.5 knots on trials.
The other girls blinked in surprise.
That's right. A Lexington class is every bit as fast as Shokaku. She let that sink in.
By the book I'm one of the slower carriers. I know what the numbers say, but until you get the chance to open up and find out for yourself, you don't really know what you can do. Your books aren't written yet. Only you can decide what goes in them. So you can take Kaga's word for it...
or you can decide for yourself.
Shinano smiled as she remembered her assignment.
Shinano? Your target is Kaga.
But Sara chan? Shinano still may not be fast enough.
I'm not so sure, but for most of the race I don't care. I just want you to do two things: Set up a comfortable, steady pace behind Kaga, and just grin. I want you to grin like you're a wolf and Kaga is a rabbit. If she looks back at you, I want her to see that grin and the hunger in your eyes.
Shinano could do this.
Kaga got off the line with a respectable start. All the competitors had gotten off well. Saratoga had jumped out to an early lead. This was not unexpected as the American's turbo-electric drive was known to be quite responsive, but soon the American would drop back and things would proceed as Kaga knew they would. Yes, even now, Shokaku and the girls of Second Division were moving up as expected. Above them, Kirishima was continuing her commentary. Odd... that reference to both Shinano and Kaga. Instinctively, Kaga looked back. Instantly she regretted it...
Shinano saw it as Kaga looked back. The grin on her face widened. There is an American saying, Kaga-san: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!
Alright girls. Let me tell you why we're going to win tomorrow. Saratoga had told her team the previous night. Listen up. We know First Strike Fleet is tough. They have lots of experience and they know everything in the book. Sara smirked. And that is the thing. They know what the books say about how fast we are. I know what the books say too, but I'm going to tell you those books don't match what I know about myself.
Kaga and the others are going into this by defining what we can't do. I know what I can do. To be fair, you girls never really got the chance to find that out for yourselves but I think it's more than they think. I'll tell you a secret. You know my book rated speed is 33.25 Knots, right?
The other girls nodded.
My sister Lexington made 34.5 knots on trials.
The other girls blinked in surprise.
That's right. A Lexington class is every bit as fast as Shokaku. She let that sink in.
By the book I'm one of the slower carriers. I know what the numbers say, but until you get the chance to open up and find out for yourself, you don't really know what you can do. Your books aren't written yet. Only you can decide what goes in them. So you can take Kaga's word for it...
or you can decide for yourself.
Shinano smiled as she remembered her assignment.
Shinano? Your target is Kaga.
But Sara chan? Shinano still may not be fast enough.
I'm not so sure, but for most of the race I don't care. I just want you to do two things: Set up a comfortable, steady pace behind Kaga, and just grin. I want you to grin like you're a wolf and Kaga is a rabbit. If she looks back at you, I want her to see that grin and the hunger in your eyes.
Shinano could do this.
Kaga got off the line with a respectable start. All the competitors had gotten off well. Saratoga had jumped out to an early lead. This was not unexpected as the American's turbo-electric drive was known to be quite responsive, but soon the American would drop back and things would proceed as Kaga knew they would. Yes, even now, Shokaku and the girls of Second Division were moving up as expected. Above them, Kirishima was continuing her commentary. Odd... that reference to both Shinano and Kaga. Instinctively, Kaga looked back. Instantly she regretted it...
Shinano saw it as Kaga looked back. The grin on her face widened. There is an American saying, Kaga-san: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!
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I was figuring that Shinano would just sail as close to Kaga as she could and grab hold of her, and then lets see those Japanese boilers pull that supercarrier when Shinano goes into reverse 
Question does Sara have her 8 inch guns?
Cause if she doesn't that literally another knot of speed acounting to my source AKA grandpa.
And if she is running light...
Cause if she doesn't that literally another knot of speed acounting to my source AKA grandpa.
And if she is running light...
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
She has lost the 8" guns and has the new 5" mounts installed. She sometimes wishes she had the 8" guns still, cause she would dearly love to shove them somewhere and pull the trigger..
She'll settle for winning the race though.
Chapter 12: Tactical Maneuvers
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Chapter 12: Tactical Maneuvers.
"And currently Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are 1, 2, and 3 with Unryu, Amagi, and Kasagi following close behind! Saratoga is maintaining pace with them. I have no idea how long she can keep the pace! Behind her in 8th place is Taiho! Katsuragi close behind, and bringing up the rear are Akagi, Kaga, and Shinano!" Kirishima looked at the fact cards.
"Our next trivia is about Akagi! Akagi is; of course, beloved flagship of Dai-ichi Kido Butai. Her turn-ons include a date that can cook. Her turn-offs: Sneaky Dive Bomber pilots."
Ahead of Akagi ran Katsuragi. Though Taiho loomed in front of her, the armored carrier did not exist in Katsuragi's thoughts. Kat, Akagi is all yours. Just get ahead of her and hold steady.
What about Taiho?
Forget about her. We win this as a team. I've got Taiho taken care of. You just keep Akagi chasing behind you.
Katsuragi did not look behind her as she pushed ahead.
Up ahead, Saratoga settled in comfortably along side Taiho. Sara actually sympathized with Taiho. Circumstance happened to put her in someone else's quarrel. Besides, she reminded Sara just a bit of Lexington. A fine sister lost to a simple blunder. But sympathy was for later. Taiho could expect a frustrating race. Beyond her, the front half of the race.
"And Unryu is trying to push the pace. She's putting on some early speed. Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are keeping pace and the lead. Unryu is dropping off." Kirishima reported. "Now Kasagi is chasing after the leaders!"
Unryu, Kasagi, Amagi... You three are going to drive the lead. Each of you take turns pushing whoever is in front of you and then drop off and switch. Saratoga personally would have preferred Zuikaku rather than her sister, because Zuikaku's reputation for brashness would have played well into Sara's strategy. Still, she expected that Shokaku would not synchronize well with Division Two's Cavaliers. Best to have those three pushing as hard as possible as long as possible.
"One of our competitors is the American carrier Saratoga. She was built in Camden New Jersey. Her turbines are capable of generating 180,000 ship horsepower. That is 20,000 horsepower greater than Zuikaku and 30,000 more than Our Yamato... We'll see if that power can translate to victory here."
You better believe it. Saratoga thought to herself. The lead pack began to head uphill. Now it gets interesting.
"And currently Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are 1, 2, and 3 with Unryu, Amagi, and Kasagi following close behind! Saratoga is maintaining pace with them. I have no idea how long she can keep the pace! Behind her in 8th place is Taiho! Katsuragi close behind, and bringing up the rear are Akagi, Kaga, and Shinano!" Kirishima looked at the fact cards.
"Our next trivia is about Akagi! Akagi is; of course, beloved flagship of Dai-ichi Kido Butai. Her turn-ons include a date that can cook. Her turn-offs: Sneaky Dive Bomber pilots."
Ahead of Akagi ran Katsuragi. Though Taiho loomed in front of her, the armored carrier did not exist in Katsuragi's thoughts. Kat, Akagi is all yours. Just get ahead of her and hold steady.
What about Taiho?
Forget about her. We win this as a team. I've got Taiho taken care of. You just keep Akagi chasing behind you.
Katsuragi did not look behind her as she pushed ahead.
Up ahead, Saratoga settled in comfortably along side Taiho. Sara actually sympathized with Taiho. Circumstance happened to put her in someone else's quarrel. Besides, she reminded Sara just a bit of Lexington. A fine sister lost to a simple blunder. But sympathy was for later. Taiho could expect a frustrating race. Beyond her, the front half of the race.
"And Unryu is trying to push the pace. She's putting on some early speed. Soryu, Hiryu, and Shokaku are keeping pace and the lead. Unryu is dropping off." Kirishima reported. "Now Kasagi is chasing after the leaders!"
Unryu, Kasagi, Amagi... You three are going to drive the lead. Each of you take turns pushing whoever is in front of you and then drop off and switch. Saratoga personally would have preferred Zuikaku rather than her sister, because Zuikaku's reputation for brashness would have played well into Sara's strategy. Still, she expected that Shokaku would not synchronize well with Division Two's Cavaliers. Best to have those three pushing as hard as possible as long as possible.
"One of our competitors is the American carrier Saratoga. She was built in Camden New Jersey. Her turbines are capable of generating 180,000 ship horsepower. That is 20,000 horsepower greater than Zuikaku and 30,000 more than Our Yamato... We'll see if that power can translate to victory here."
You better believe it. Saratoga thought to herself. The lead pack began to head uphill. Now it gets interesting.
ecs05norway
Zenryoku Zenkai!
Gotta wonder how much weight she dropped, trading in those eight-inchers.....
The twin mounts, which the Lexingtons had, weighed 187 tons. And they had four of them.
By dropping them she lost 748 tons of dead weight.
And if she doesn't have any planes, ammo, or fuel for the planes that at least another 2000 tons in just avgas....
The Lexingtons class battlecruisers were designed to hit 36-37 knots flat out.
By dropping them she lost 748 tons of dead weight.
And if she doesn't have any planes, ammo, or fuel for the planes that at least another 2000 tons in just avgas....
The Lexingtons class battlecruisers were designed to hit 36-37 knots flat out.
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Your right It doesn't say that if they had a war load out for the race or not.
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
They're all running stripped. Fully fueled but w/o aircraft or munitions
By the way... If all the Japanese Carriers started getting Reppus despite Japan only historically building 10 of the things, What would an American Carrier want in her box of goodies?
By the way... If all the Japanese Carriers started getting Reppus despite Japan only historically building 10 of the things, What would an American Carrier want in her box of goodies?
Uhhh.... *Looks at the insane amount of aircraft the US design during the war*
Gee... Why don't you ask us to herd destroyers why you at it?
I be back.
Gee... Why don't you ask us to herd destroyers why you at it?
I be back.
TBF Avenger
SB2C "Helldiver"
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Grumman F8F Bearcat
SB2C "Helldiver"
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Grumman F8F Bearcat
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- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Herd destroyers? I'm not THAT cruel.
Probably one of the early jet fighters. I'm guessing one of:By the way... If all the Japanese Carriers started getting Reppus despite Japan only historically building 10 of the things, What would an American Carrier want in her box of goodies?
- The Fireball, a mixed engine jet fighter designed for carrier use. It also appears to have comparable or superior performance, even if it was discontinued in '47.
- The Shooting Star, an Air force jet pressed into naval service temporarily because of undersupply.
- The original Phantom, the first pure jet aircraft to land on a carrier.
(Remember, the Reppu is a late war prototype, so the best american counter is going to look a lot like what we used in Korea.)
Sara's deck couldn't take Jets.
The Bearcat and the Skyraider for the simple reasons as they both can do fighter duty and torpedo/dive bomber duty.
Or
Or
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Load out depends on mission of course, but if Sara's Faery Godfather made Sara an offer she couldn't refuse, then she'd have a nice selection to choose from.
She still has a soft spot for her SBDs, mind you but she knows that using them for sentimental reasons is a good way to get folks killed.
She still has a soft spot for her SBDs, mind you but she knows that using them for sentimental reasons is a good way to get folks killed.
Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
i would say a mix of Corsairs and SBD's though the bearcats would work as well
The benefit of the fireball is that it's not a jet for the purposes of take off and landing, but is a jet in dogfights. Unless you have a more detailed reason why they wouldn't work, they seem like the best end war American prototype fighter to me.
From the WIKI
VF-1E conducted carrier qualification in March 1947 aboard the escort carrier Badoeng Strait and only eight pilots successfully qualified, not least because the FR-1s were proving to be too fragile to endure repeated carrier landings. During one brief deployment in June aboard Rendova, one aircraft broke in two during a hard landing. Subsequent inspections of the squadron's aircraft showed signs of structural failure and all the Fireballs were withdrawn by 1 August 1947.[16]
After the withdrawal of the type from service, except for a few examples retained for modifications and testing, the FR-1s were scrapped.[17]
VF-1E conducted carrier qualification in March 1947 aboard the escort carrier Badoeng Strait and only eight pilots successfully qualified, not least because the FR-1s were proving to be too fragile to endure repeated carrier landings. During one brief deployment in June aboard Rendova, one aircraft broke in two during a hard landing. Subsequent inspections of the squadron's aircraft showed signs of structural failure and all the Fireballs were withdrawn by 1 August 1947.[16]
After the withdrawal of the type from service, except for a few examples retained for modifications and testing, the FR-1s were scrapped.[17]
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Chapter 13: To The Line
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
Chapter 13: To The Line
"The uphill climb has begun. Shokaku is pulling away from the rest of the lead pack!" Kirishima announced. "And Saratoga is picking up speed, beginning to move up in the ranks. Shokaku needs to be careful! The downward slope may prove troublesome..."
Sara nodded. This was it, the climb up the hill followed by the sharp decline and then a clean shot to the finish.
Trailing somewhat behind, Kaga had to grudgingly give credit to her opponents. Admitting even that it was likely the American who had so thoroughly engineered their battle plan. Perhaps Kaga had been too proud? As she again glanced back at Shinano, she considered that it was not a simple "Touch of the armored gauntlet" as she had believed. These girls were confident and prepared... for this contest at any rate.
They started up the hill and Kaga noticed that Shinano was gaining ground on her.
***
Up ahead, Shokaku had powered ahead of the pack, but now was having trouble reversing as her speed threatened to send her tumbling. Just behind her, Saratoga was making her move. She easily powered past the rest of the field and now unloaded another surprise: Her turbo electric drive was not only responsive, but allowed Saratoga to put her full power into reverse. Something that Shokaku simply could not match. And then just as quickly, back into full forward.
Saratoga smiled as overhead, Kirishima read off one last card: "USS Saratoga held the record as fastest of all American Carriers for over 30 years. She achieved an official rating of 34.99 knots on trials."
34.99 knots? The crowd looked stunned. Even Shimakaze thought that was respectable, especially for a carrier. Inwardly, Kaga and Shokaku groaned.
What was that cartoon again? Saratoga wondered fleetingly. The one with the bird and the coyote? Too bad I missed them on first run! Oh yes!
Meep Meep!
"And coming to the finish, it's Saratoga in first! Shokaku! Hiryu, Unryu, Amagi, Kasagi, Soryu, Taiho, Katsuragi, Akagi, Shinano and Kaga! Calculating the point totals, Dai-ichi Kido Butai has 36 points.... Dai-san Kido Butai has... 42! Our winners! Third Strike Fleet!" Kirishima proclaimed.
The girls of Third Strike Fleet raised their arms in triumph. Then they lined up facing their opponents, saluted and bowed in respect.
It was a lesson the Boss would never want Saratoga to forget. Lose with dignity, but win with dignity as well...
"The uphill climb has begun. Shokaku is pulling away from the rest of the lead pack!" Kirishima announced. "And Saratoga is picking up speed, beginning to move up in the ranks. Shokaku needs to be careful! The downward slope may prove troublesome..."
Sara nodded. This was it, the climb up the hill followed by the sharp decline and then a clean shot to the finish.
Trailing somewhat behind, Kaga had to grudgingly give credit to her opponents. Admitting even that it was likely the American who had so thoroughly engineered their battle plan. Perhaps Kaga had been too proud? As she again glanced back at Shinano, she considered that it was not a simple "Touch of the armored gauntlet" as she had believed. These girls were confident and prepared... for this contest at any rate.
They started up the hill and Kaga noticed that Shinano was gaining ground on her.
***
Up ahead, Shokaku had powered ahead of the pack, but now was having trouble reversing as her speed threatened to send her tumbling. Just behind her, Saratoga was making her move. She easily powered past the rest of the field and now unloaded another surprise: Her turbo electric drive was not only responsive, but allowed Saratoga to put her full power into reverse. Something that Shokaku simply could not match. And then just as quickly, back into full forward.
Saratoga smiled as overhead, Kirishima read off one last card: "USS Saratoga held the record as fastest of all American Carriers for over 30 years. She achieved an official rating of 34.99 knots on trials."
34.99 knots? The crowd looked stunned. Even Shimakaze thought that was respectable, especially for a carrier. Inwardly, Kaga and Shokaku groaned.
What was that cartoon again? Saratoga wondered fleetingly. The one with the bird and the coyote? Too bad I missed them on first run! Oh yes!
Meep Meep!
"And coming to the finish, it's Saratoga in first! Shokaku! Hiryu, Unryu, Amagi, Kasagi, Soryu, Taiho, Katsuragi, Akagi, Shinano and Kaga! Calculating the point totals, Dai-ichi Kido Butai has 36 points.... Dai-san Kido Butai has... 42! Our winners! Third Strike Fleet!" Kirishima proclaimed.
The girls of Third Strike Fleet raised their arms in triumph. Then they lined up facing their opponents, saluted and bowed in respect.
It was a lesson the Boss would never want Saratoga to forget. Lose with dignity, but win with dignity as well...
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Moral of the story?
Always do you homework.
Always do you homework.